AN EXHIBITION OF CONTRASTS

12th Nov - 31st Jan 2010

Yorkshire Post, Friday Novemeber 13th 2009

YORKSHIRE POST
Nov 13th, 2009
Gallery offers visitors chance to get stuck into graduates' glue art

Robert Sutcliffe

A HUGE dripping glue wall and window hangings in vivid oranges and reds have been specially commissioned for a leading art gallery in Bradford.

Its creator, Manchester Met graduate Clare Knox-Bentham, has been selected by Kath Libbert of the Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery at Salts Mill to forBright/Light -An Exhibition of Contrasts introducing work by 12 graduates.

A Gallery spokeswoman said: "They are full of amazingly drawn faces, the more you look at them the more you see. The red one is just faces in all different sizes each with their own personalities.

"Another is pink merging gradually into orange in colour and is full of skulls, strange prehistoric birds and fish bones.

"They are truly incredible. The other thing about these hangings, which would look fantastic in a large white stairwell, is that by siting them slightly away from the wall the shadows add a whole extra dimension resembling fine drawings in wire."

Also available are striking pieces of contemporary jewellery from Ten of this year's Top New Talents including more dripping glue in the form of dramatic necklaces.

Bright / Light runs until January 31. Salts Mill is open daily 10am - 5.30pm Mon - Fri and 10am - 6pm Sat and Sun.

BRIGHT IDEA: Top, Bex Bardon models a necklace by Clare Knox
Bentham by a wall hanging by the same artist and above, Kath Libbert with her exhibition in Salts Mill, Saltaire.
Picture: Tony Johnson.

the benchpeg newsletter
Issues 140 & 141: November 2009

28.1 Bright / Light - An Exhibition of Contrasts, Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery - Salts Mill, Saltaire
Introducing work by Ten New Graduates (and Two Nearly New!) The twinkling lights and shiny baubles of Christmas may be appearing in the shops and on the high streets, but a new exhibition at the Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery, Salts Mill, Saltaire, is set to outshine them all!

Bright/Light is a showcase of work by ten sparkling new graduates and two highly talented ‘nearly new’ designers - both from the prestigious Masters course at London’s Royal College of Art.

Lina Peterson is a Swedish, experimental jewellery artist who is quickly gathering a strong international reputation; her bright, colourful brooches are playful ‘jigsaw puzzles’ in wood, textiles, silver and plastic. In contrast, Jahyun Rita Baek crafts gently moving geometric disks of light-reflecting acrylic into elegant necklaces and earrings.

Refusing to be outshone, the work of the ten new designers presents a mix of bright, bold exuberance of plastic, textiles, crystals and gemstones, shown alongside lovely light, quietly beautiful pieces in silver, creamy enamel and reclaimed ivory.

Claire Knox-Bentham creates startling scarlet and orange ‘dripping’ plastic necklaces and wall hangings, which are full of intricate faces, skulls and fish bones! Holly Edwards’ oxidised silver and iron neckpieces, arm pieces and brooches are huge, yet delicate, ethereal, yet strong – each moving strand is tipped with sharp red accents.

Festival-inspired, vividly coloured aluminium rings and bangles with interchangeable parts by Deana Baker sit alongside Hanni Ramsay’s sculptural, organic silver rings and Shona MacSween’s cute, crystal-studded creatures resembling gargoyles, little brooches to wear on your shoulder, as companions and protectors!

Collections with a lighter touch include Lydia Feast’s pale enamel brooches set in silver, some with delicate etching of grasses and bestowed with enigmatic titles such as 'Moments In Between', 'Silence', and 'Chaos and Calm'. Dramatic, textured silver cuffs by Kerri Strachan are inspired by folds of fabric, whilst the shadows cast by shapes as mundane as milk bottles are the unlikely starting point for Jamie Price - fleeting plays of light are reflected in her intricate 'drawings' in silver wire, crafted into elegant, wearable brooches.

Beautifully sophisticated necklaces and brooches by Jen Brown explore surface pattern using enamel and gemstones and, finally, Ivy Nixon reflects the life and loves of Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, as she hangs interchangeable ‘attachments’ - a cross, a tiny, silver-tipped pencil, a vial holding a blade of grass - to a piano key brooch, creating ‘the ultimate adulteress’ companion’.

Alongside Bright/Light there’s a further dash of dramatic glamour with a Black & Gold showcase; four gorgeous collections of eminently wearable jewellery created from inky jet and black silver with golden highlights. Just perfect for ‘decorating’ yourself this Christmas!

Bright/Light runs from the 12th November 2009 to 31st January 2010 at: Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery, Salts Mill, Saltaire, West Yorkshire.

Salts Mill is open weekdays from 10am – 5.30pm and weekends 10am – 6pm.
For further information call:
[t] 01274 599790
[w] www.kathlibbertjewellery.co.uk

Neckpiece, Holly Edwards
Now showing at Bright / Light - An Exhibition Kath Libbert Jewellery

LEEDS GUIDE
Wed 9 Dec-Thu 24 Dec 2009

LEEDS' BEST
PARTY JEWELLERY
With the party season approaching, it’s time to get your bling out, girls — the jewel in Leeds’ crown this season is to think big: bright giant gemstones and pearls make a massive statement and complement classy cocktails, evening gowns and your own personal James Bond. Ding dong.

2. ‘Cloud’ necklace in perspex, £473, by Jahyun Rita Baek, part of the Bright/Light collection at Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery, Salts Mill, Saltaire

10.‘Lace’ earrings in hand crocheted 18ct yellow gold, £330, and oxidised silver, £138, by Teri Howes, part of the Black & Gold collection at Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery, Salts Mill, Saltaire

Craft&Design
December Newsletter

Bright/Light at Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery
Until 31st January

Since 1996 this leading Contemporary Jewellery Gallery has been set within Salts Mill in West Yorkshire, home to the world’s largest collection of work by David Hockney. Open daily, it showcases a wide selection of jewellery and metal smithing by over 70 makers, complemented by major exhibitions featuring top international jewellery artists as well as the cream of British talent.
Much of the work on show pushes and blurs the boundaries between art, jewellery design and fashion, resulting in jewellery that is, perhaps, best described as wearable art. Pieces are often created using a surprising range of materials and techniques. But the Gallery is also known for its huge choice of beautifully handcrafted, stylish pieces that are eminently wearable - yet all unique.
Bright/Light is a showcase of work by ten sparkling new graduates and two highly talented ‘nearly new’ designers - both from the prestigious Masters course at London’s Royal College of Art.
Alongside Bright/Light there’s a further dash of dramatic glamour with a Black & Gold showcase; four gorgeous collections of eminently wearable jewellery created from inky jet and black silver with golden highlights.
www.kathlibbertjewellery.co.uk

Pictured: Holly Edwards Neckpiece;
Ivy Nixon, Chatelaine Brooch;
Kerri Strachen, Cuff.

ARTS THREAD
Issue 2 (Feb 2010)

BRIGHT/LIGHT:
NEW JEWELLERY
Kath Libbert visits New Designers in search of new talent for her well-recognised contemporary jewellery gallery.

Kath Libbert is a constant supporter
of graduate talent, creating
exhibitions of new work every year
at her gallery at Salt Mills, West Yorkshire.
After her annual visit to New Designers graduate show last summer, ARTS THREAD spoke to the curator about what she had found there.
‘I always go to New Designers with a sense of excited anticipation. What will I see to challenge, provoke, stimulate, delight? I was, as usual, not disappointed.
There is always such an array of new ideas and new ways of expressing old ideas. I don’t really look for trends, just in a more personal way what I find special now, what I feel is breaking new ground in some way.
‘This year I found that, for me, two
styles of contrasting work particularly engaged my attention. One was a strident use of colour, most obvious in work by Manchester Metropolitan University graduate Clare Knox-Bentham in her Dribble collection of dramatic dripping plastic neckpieces in startling reds and oranges. More subtle use of colour could be found in the gargoyle inspired small creature brooches by Shona MacSween, Middlesex University. Designed to perch on the shoulder to provide both protection and, maybe, company for the wearer, the ones I loved most had had their small bodies studded with sparkling grey Swarovski crystals with ears tipped with bright red crystals. Disturbing and delightful.

‘Also using colour in a delicate way, more as you would use a highlighter pen, I was impressed by the work of Holly Edwards, a mature student who had done her Design Crafts BA (Hons) over 6 years whilst also working full time in a bank! Her huge delicate oxidised silver and iron wire neckpieces, arm pieces and brooches have an ethereal quality and at the same time a really strong presence.

Tipped with sharp red accents in latex, each strand of silver moves, creating the impression of some vast living organism.

‘In complete contrast to the three graduates mentioned so far, were a spread of jewellers who had developed collections of a gentler, calmer, lighter nature. There was a lot of white and very pale enamel being used, such as in the quietly beautiful collection of brooches by Lydia Feast, who got a First for her BA (Hons) at Birmingham City University. Enigmatic titles like Moments In Between, Silence, and Chaos and Calm added to their interest, as did the delicate etching of grasses in dark grey on some of the pieces. Of her work she says: “It echoes references to time and nature whilst… bringing together contrasting elements illustrating a harmony between chaos and calm, new and old and silence and noise. Inspired by my research into chaos theory.”

‘A similar palette using pale reclaimed ivory piano keys mixed with wood and matt silver could be seen in Charlotte Dey’s imaginative Chatelaine Collection which takes Flaubert’s Madame Bovary as its inspiration. Charlotte, a graduate from Nottingham Trent University, has created ‘a collection which has subtle references to key stages of Emma Bovary’s life; a piano key brooch setting reminds us of her liaisons with her lover Leon, whilst a vial containing a blade of grass is reminiscent of the long journey she would take to visit Rodolphe. It is important to me that my work is interactive and adaptable; in order to encourage people to keep and treasure their possessions, it is vital that the jewellery has the potential to be customised according to the needs of the wearer. The Chatelaine Brooch collection is the ultimate adulteress’ companion; each ‘attachment’ is removable, allowing Madame Bovary to customise her jewellery according to the company she is keeping.’

‘Also on the ‘Light’ side I was drawn to the work of Jamie Price another Nottingham Trent University graduate, who has a strong interest in illustration which is evident in her delicate, intricate ‘drawings’ in silver wire, inspired by shadows cast by shapes as mundane as milk bottles! She has transformed these fleeting ever-changing plays of light into a series of elegant wearable brooches.

‘There were many other highlights to last year’s New Designers, some of whom also took part in our New British Graduate exhibition BRIGHT/LIGHT November 12–31 January 2010 and many others who I am sure I will be hearing more about in the very near future!’
To know more about the Kath Libbert Jewellery Gallery:
www.kathlibbertjewellery.co.uk

Opposite Chatelaine, Charlotte Dey, Nottingham Trent University, ivynixonjewellery@googlemail.com
Top left Dribble Jewellery, Clare Knox-Bentham, Manchester Metropolitan University, c.knox@earthling.net
Top middle Rings and Pins, Shona MacSween, Middlesex University,
www.shona-macsween.com
Top right Moments In Between, Lydia Feast, Birmingham City University,
www.lydiafeast.co.uk
Bottom left Large Neckpiece, Holly Edwards, Oxford & Cherwell Valley College (De Montfort University associate course),
holly_edwards@live.co.uk
Bottom right Jamie Price, Nottingham Trent University,
jamieprice@live.com

Bright/Light

Alternative Wedding Show 2010

Choice